


Know Yourself

by Daegaer



Series: Problems in Navigation [15]
Category: Weiß Kreuz
Genre: Alternate Universe - Science Fiction, Assassins & Hitmen, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Jealousy, M/M, Psychic Abilities, Slavery, Space Opera
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-18
Updated: 2018-10-18
Packaged: 2019-08-07 10:08:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 591
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16406390
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Daegaer/pseuds/Daegaer
Summary: Crawford loses his temper with his navigator following the events ofDrunk Tankand comes to an unwelcome conclusion about himself.





	Know Yourself

"You fight," Crawford said, "like a pre-schooler. You were just lucky those idiots were drunk and stupid. And that Nagi's telekinetic."

Ran stood up straighter, depressingly uncowed for someone who had been sedated for ten hours and then subjected to a battery of psych texts, Crawford thought sourly. _I should be reprimanding him in front of the crew_ , he thought, regretting the decision to bring Ran to his quarters for the dressing-down. _Put him in his place_. The boy's next words made him glad there were no other witnesses.

"Are you going to teach me to fight properly?"

"No, I am not. That's not what you're for. Nagi's in trouble – with me as well as the authorities – what was he thinking, getting you involved in that?"

"We were minding our own business, they were the ones who started everything –"

"What precise business were you minding, sitting cozily at a table for two getting chatted up?" Crawford said, rather more sharply than he'd intended. He grimaced scornfully at Ran's confusion. "Do yourself a favour and listen to me: don't get involved with Nagi."

" _What_ \- he's just my _friend_ -"

"You don't have friends. You're property."

Ran took a half-step back, as if he'd been hit in the face.

"Bast-" he got out, before Crawford grabbed his bruised jaw and forced his chin up.

"Be careful what you say to me," he said. "You've had far too much leeway. Remember who and what you are."

"Sorry, Captain," Ran said indistinctly but with a definite tone of spite. "I didn't realize you'd be so jealous." He paled then at Crawford's expression, clearly seeing he had gone too far, but the room was small and there was nowhere for him to escape to. He yelped in surprise as his feet were knocked out from under him and he was shoved back to come down awkwardly on the bunk.

"Your defences are shit," Crawford said, pushing him flat and leaning in close. Ran's breathing was erratic and panicked and there was real alarm in his eyes, Crawford saw, as he straightened up. _Good._ "Nagi wouldn't even need to touch you to hold you down. Maybe you should think about that."

Ran squirmed away and huddled at the far end of the bunk, watching him. "He's my friend," he said defiantly, though his voice shook. "He was just looking out for me."

Crawford felt his anger run out, leaving him tired of overly-dramatic crewmembers and navigators. He sat heavily on the bunk.

"Fine. Keep it on a friendly level."

It would be betraying a crewmember to say that Nagi had a type, and that type was _helpless_. You didn't get much more helpless than Ran and his self-declared tragic situation. At least with Ran – and Nanami, Crawford supposed – it was the type of helpless that set off Nagi's protective instincts, such as they were. When the mood took him and he set off to have some fun by _making_ someone helpless that was a whole other issue. Maybe the gods could do him a favour, Crawford thought, by actually existing, and by ensuring that Nagi wanted to keep things friendly as well.

"You're still under my protection. You don't have to be afraid of me," he said.

"Thank you, Captain," Ran said warily, still doing his best to squeeze into the smallest possible space.

Gods help him, Crawford thought, remembering the video of Ran laughing, open-faced and cheerful, with Nagi and seeing the miserable, scared figure now curled on the end of his bunk, maybe he _was_ jealous.


End file.
